


Unraveling

by emmagic



Series: Unraveling [1]
Category: Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Multi
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-09
Updated: 2019-04-14
Packaged: 2020-01-07 08:46:20
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 6,623
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18407159
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmagic/pseuds/emmagic
Summary: AU starts in fourth year where Hermione becomes Zabini's potions partner and it goes from there.





	1. 1 - what would you've said?

The stands had been packed yesterday. When Harry had doven forward to retrieve that egg and then reappeared clutching that awful thing. She had been so relieved. So incredibly happy to see Harry alive and victorious and ecstatic at having battled a dragon. 

Having battled a dragon at fourteen. Honestly, the wizarding world was going crazy. Perhaps it had always been this way, except Hermione, along with all other muggleborns and half-bloods could compare it to the muggle world and thus drag it into perspective. 

She sat, now, in the stacks of the library crammed around a little table with twenty books or so. She had just gone wandering through the shelves picking up anything that had  _ strange artefacts, Triwizard Tournament  _ or  _ screaming objects  _ labelled anywhere on the cover. So far she had found absolutely nothing remotely useful. She had found lots of interesting, useless little facts but nothing relevant to her best friend’s problem. To say this frustrated her greatly would be an understatement. 

Not to mention there was someone close by laughing at something hysterically and it was so incredibly frustrating. Who came to the library to have a laugh? There were so many places to relax and unwind loudly. But some people, like Hermione, preferred doing so in silence, in the library. 

At the sound of the high pitched voices they were easily identifiable as young and definitely female. Where was Madam Pince when she was actually necessary? Such a scary protector of the library and no use at all. What a pitiful waste. 

Hermione tried to zone out. Just like when she was reading in the common room or in the Burrow or at home. Just her mind and words and facts. However, every time she came close, those girls would start up again. Eventually, Hermione pushed back her chair vehemently and stalked through the stacks and densely packed bookshelves, muttering to herself, her bushy hair an angry cloud around her face. The library was for  _ peace and quiet _ . Was this not something learnt at a young age? 

Hermione rounded the corner to spot the culprits sitting right there. Honestly, this was just going to earn her points on the nasty scale, and she knew this, but still. Peace and quiet was a given in the library. She walked out of the stacks she had been sitting in, only to find a shadow at her elbow. A much taller, paler sneering shadow. But still, a shadow all the same. 

Hermione didn’t notice at first, she actually did think it was her shadow, right up until she stood right in front of the giggling second years. 

That’s when she noticed Draco standing close to her. So close that she jumped a little and took a step backwards. That triggered Draco and made him jump. His sneer only stretched when he saw Hermione eyeing him. The second year girls looked on anxiously as they realised they had been too loud. Draco didn’t dignify Hermione with a greeting or even a recognition. Hermione’s temper flared even brighter. 

She let it out on the second years. They had been the root of the problem. With their incessant giggling, which had caused her to lose focus repetitively and now this collision with Malfoy. Of all people. “This is the  _ library _ ,” Hermione hissed at the hufflepuffs, “People come here to study, to do their homework or to do research. People do  _ not  _ come here to have giggly get togethers with their friends.” 

Draco turned his sneering glare on the second years. To anyone looking they looked like a duo, as if they’d purposely  joint their rage to solve the problem at hand. 

Hermione took the moment to smooth her bushy hair behind her ears. Then she realised she didn’t give a flying fuck what Malfoy thought of her and untucked her hair. 

“Get your disgusting gossip and your horrible laughter to the otherside of the school. I don’t want to see you anywhere near me ever again.” 

Hermione watched, appalled by Malfoy’s words as well as the scared shitless second years scrambling for their stuff and  _ sprinting  _ out of the library. If Hermione had been around friends she would have laughed. But she was amongst a foe so she turned around to stalk back to her corner in silence and to just ignore Malfoy. 

“You’re welcome,” Malfoy drawled from behind her. 

“Excuse me?” Hermione stopped short and turned around to lift a reprimanding finger and pointed it at the blonde. “I did that. You just tied up the ends of what was left. As usual.”  

“What is that supposed to mean?” 

She shrugged. “Nothing.” 

Draco curled his lip in disgust. “You think you’re clever, mudblood? Well you should be grateful that you’re even allowed to  _ walk  _ these halls and  _ touch  _ these books without any sort of extra requirements.” 

She stepped closer, she was just a bundle of tightly wound muscle now. “Remember last year, Malfoy? Would you like me to try it again? I have  _ every  _ right to walk these halls and touch these books because I am just like you but  _ better _ . Yeah, better. Because I don’t dawdle in your disgusting ideologies.” 

Malfoy rolled his eyes this time. But it was enough to push her over the edge as she had been browsing books for hours and she had found nothing. And Ron had been insufferable for weeks and the bloody second years. 

Hermione punched Draco. For the second time in the span of two years. She wondered what her dad would’ve said as she punched Malfoy’s jaw.  _ “It’s a good spot to inflict pain but it hurts the both of you.” _

It did hurt. Her knuckles were sure to bruise later, and the adrenaline and nerve were just gone in a small explosion between her fist and Malfoy’s jaw. 

Malfoy’s eyes widened into comically large saucers. “Bitch,” he spat. He was surprised. He hadn’t thought she would do it, then. Interesting. She retracted her arm and moved back through the shelves to close all her books. 

As she stormed out of the library blowing on her knuckles she stormed right into the last person she had expected to. “Hermy-own? Vat’s wrong? Vat happened to your hand?” 

Hermione smiled up at Krum from the floor. “I punched someone.” She was proud, she couldn’t help it. Her knuckles were throbbing a little. But she was buzzing slightly, again. Maybe it was punching Malfoy. Maybe it was seeing Krum. Probably both. 

The older boy bent down to reach for Hermione’s hand—not the hand she punched Malfoy with—and pulled her up. When she was up and smiling and thanking the universe for her dark skin covering her blush, Viktor took her hand and examined her pulsing skin. 

He held her hand so lightly, he seemed afraid that just his touch would be too much for her. Hermione thought it was very sweet. Harry and Ron would never treat her like this. “You punched someone?” Viktor asked, confused that this bookish girl that he had developed a crush for over the weeks had the balls to punch someone. Where he came from, girls like Hermione didn’t exist.

Hermione nodded in response. “Yeah, Malfoy was insulting me and everyone like me and there were these second years that were loud and I think I just lost it. You know?” 

Krum was frowning, she’d probably been speaking too quickly again. She did this often, though, with English people it wasn’t such a problem. Krum shook his head and frowned at Hermione. 

“But you are okay, yes?” He asked strictly. 

Hermione nodded, smiling, “Yes, I am fine, Viktor.” 

Krum’s lips curled at the mention of his first name. “I know this Malfoy, yes?” 

She nodded again. “Yes, he’s that blonde boy from Slytherin. He’s quite nasty, he always looks like he’s got something up his arse--I mean,” She stopped talking when she saw Krum smiling at her. “What is it?” 

He shrugged, “Nothing.”

Hermione narrowed her eyes, but she was still smiling. “Anyway, now I’ve got all these books,” she gestured at the books still strewn over the ground around them. “And I think I’m going to go back to Gryffindor…” She saw Krum’s disappointed look. “But we could find an abandoned classroom somewhere?” Krum was smiling again. She wondered if he’d interrupted it as she had meant it. As studying together, albeit alone, in an empty classroom. She was sure Ron would’ve made that into something dirty. 

So, they gathered her books off of the ground and set off to the west wing of Hogwarts. Hermione nodded at the book tucked underneath Krum’s arm. “What is that you’re reading?”

Krum frowned and pulled the book from underneath his arm. He showed the cover to her. It was a red, leather bound book with a black title with some letters that Hermione had never seen before. And she took ancient runes. 

Hermione furrowed her brow. “What does it say?”   
“‘Vrăji Secrete și Obiecte Ciudate, it’s not very good. Karkaroff is making me read it for the egg.”

“Is he disappointed that you didn’t get as many points?” Hermione asked lightly as she cautiously glanced into a classroom. She saw a shadow move inside and quickly made her way back to Krum’s side. 

Krum lifted a shoulder, an uneasy expression coating his handsome features. “Meh, yes, but I tried my best and I don’t know vat else he vants from me.” Krum eased open another door with his shoulder as he was carrying half of the books Hermione had brought with her. Hermione noted that he didn’t seem at all troubled by the seven books stacked in his arms. 

As soon as the door fell open a ghost on horseback cantered out of the room. The rider--an elegant woman with her hair plaited down her back--didn’t spare either of them a glance as she passed through Krum on her white horse. 

Krum looked stricken as he re-gathered himself, surly processing the cold that had just taken over his whole body. 

Krum gave Hermione a look, “I don’t think that I vill ever get used to your ghosts.”

Hermione smiled at him over her shoulder as she passed him through the doorway, “That’s okay, I’m not quite used to them either.”

***

Draco was embarrassed, to say the least. This was the second time in two years that he sat on his bed in his dorm room with Pansy fixing him a concealing charm. Draco could do the charm himself too—of course he could—but Pansy was so much better at it. Vain as she was, she knew her tricks. 

Draco met Blaise’s eyes who was standing in the doorway. Draco could tell that Blaise wanted to have a laugh at him. Theo sat on his bed, the one pushed into the corner of the room, and was outright laughing at him. “So, you’re saying that,” he stopped and held out a hand as he gathered himself for a moment. “That Granger--Granger: the little bossy one--” Theo narrowed his fingers to show how small Hermione was. “Punched you? Again? Merlin, Malfoy, you’re beginning to look like a pansy.” 

“Hey!” Pansy turned her dark eyes on Theo who amended his insult.

“Sorry--a twat.”

“Well, thanks, Nott, I hadn’t thought about it that way before.”

“No problem,” Theo said, still smiling as he fell back onto his bed, his arms folded behind his head. 

“You know,” Pansy began as she tapped Draco’s jaw again with her wand, “I heard that Krum has a thing for Granger,” Draco lifted his nose in disgust, he’d heard that too.

Blaise lifted an eyebrow in confusion, “Viktor Krum?”

“Duh-huh.” Pansy said, waving a hand. “I heard he’s even going to ask her out to the Yule Ball.”

Theo frowned, “Is that even allowed?”

Pansy turned around to face him, “I guess,” she huffed. “Such a pity though, he has such a pretty face and now he’s wasting it on the bossy one. Of all people.”

At that moment Millicent came striding in. As Millicent always strode. Her pretty blonde hair was up in a messy ponytail that had definitely taken a couple of minutes to be perfected to this level of messiness. She stood just inside of the room with her hands on her hips and pretty lips in a pout. 

“A gathering without me? Malfoy what happened to your face?” 

Draco scowled as Theo sat up enthusiastically to inform their friend of the latest event. “The mighty dragon has been punched by the tiny, bossy one.” Theo again brought his fingers together to exaggerate Hermione’s smallness. 

Millicent looked unimpressed and narrowed her eyes. “Again, Malfoy? Merlin what’s wrong with you? Can’t you block a punch?”

Draco’s scowl deepened. “I don’t need the commentary, Millie, I’m perfectly aware of the pathetic-ness of the situation.”

Millicent held up her hands in surrender. “Alright.” She dropped herself beside Theo on the bed.

“Besides, it was completely unexpected, she practically came out of nowhere,” Draco whispered under his breath. 

Pansy, the only one who heard, rolled her eyes. “Yes, you’re a big boy, now, aren’t you?” 

Draco blew her a raspberry.

She smiled, “Very dignified.”

Blaise stepped into the room and closed the door behind him. He leant back against the door frame. 

“We’re going to the Yule Ball, then?” He asked.

Pansy lifted an eyebrow. “Is that even a question? Of course we’re going to go! It’ll be a great excuse to go shopping.” 

Theo hung upside down from the bed and huffed. Draco touched his jaw tenderly and felt the same as Theo did. He would go, of course, if his parents wanted him there. 

Blaise didn’t say anything so Pansy turned to the only other girl in the group. “Millie? Come on, it’ll be great fun! We could go down to Hogsmeade next weekend!” 

Millicent was inspecting a nail. She was frowning. “I don’t know, Pans, who would I even go with?” 

Pansy frowned, “I dunno, Elio from fifth? Or Augustine? Oh, maybe Kyle from Ravenclaw? He’s fit.” Pansy shrugged as if to say that they had a lot of options but that she primarily cared for the new dress she was to acquire for the ball.

Millicent nodded but her eyes were still hesitant. “Alright, alright, because you love me.”

Pansy smiled mischievously, surely picturing the incredible sum of money she would spent on her new dress, “Because I love you.”

***

The week after, people had been talking about the upcoming Yule Ball. The event was something spectacularly expected by the students. 

Students had tentatively started asking one another out to the dance as well as started making up incredible rumours. 

“I heard they’re bringing in the Chinese Fireball so it can roast all the food,”

“Really? I heard that we’re allowed to ride the dragons out over the quidditch pitch,”

“Rubbish,” Hermione muttered bitterly as she rolled over in her bed and shut the book to hold it over her chest. Parvati and Lavender fell abruptly silent. 

The two girls sent each other looks before shutting up completely. “It’s just gossip, you know that, right?” Hermione pushed. 

Lavender turned back to the mirror in her hand and used her brush to apply more pink eyeshadow. Parvati--distraced and suddenly aware of Hermione's presence--dropped her own brush dipped in blue powder and crawled off of the bed to sit on Hermione’s. 

The taller girl took a hold of some of Hermione’s thick, curly, brown hair and started dividing it into sections. Hermione put her chin on top of her hands and let it happen, as she often did. 

Parvati made a disapproving sound, “Mione you have such great hair! Why don’t you take better care of this?” She yanked on a piece for emphasis. 

Hermione shrugged, “No one cares about it,  anyway.”

“That’s why you should do it!” 

“Besides, I don’t think that’s wholly true, you have Krum. I’m sure he cares for it,” Lavender chipped in from her bed, not looking at the other dark skinned girls across the room. 

Hermione felt Parvati pin something up on her head but she had no idea what. She trusted Parvati to know she would do something fiddly and pretty with her bushy mane. Something Hermione thought of as impossible. 

“That’s right! You have Krum, I know that if I had Krum I would look my best all the time.” 

“I don’t _have_ Krum,” Hermione said, rolling her eyes.

“Sure you do,” Lavender said nonchalantly, dropping her brush on her bed, powder dropping on her duvet. She shrugged and jumped off of her bed to sit at the foot of Hermione’s. She sat eye to eye with Hermione and smiled wickedly. As Lavender often did. 

“Hermione, so many people would kill for your position with Krum, honestly. You don’t even seem to care.” 

“I care!” Hermione said shrilly. 

Parvati and Lavender shared another look before continuing on. 

“Good,” Parvati calmly said, pinning up some more hair. 

Lavender returned to her bed to lean over her trunk to fish around only to retrieve a yellow and gold eye shadow box. She waved the box at Hermione who rolled her eyes but didn’t protest. She didn’t really mind, after all. It was kind of nice, actually, to have people other than Ron and Harry pay her attention. 

Lavender returned with a brush and commanded Hermione to close her eyes and relax. Hermione did as instructed.

“So, has he asked you out to the Yule Ball yet?” Parvati asked, from behind Hermione. 

“No.”

“Really? But you spent all that time together.”   


“Nope.”

“You do.” 

Hermione shrugged and huffed. Right, girls wanted gossip. Details. 

“I dunno, we just don’t talk a lot really. We just--”

“Snog?” Lavender supplied, starting on Hermione’s other eyelid. Hermione opened both of her eyes just so she could roll them. 

“But you’re not denying it!” Lavender said, having seen Hermione’s eye roll.

Parvati squealed, “Oh my Merlin, Hermione! Have you snogged Viktor Krum? Without telling us!” She pulled hard on a section of Hermione’s hair. 

“Ow!”

“Still not denying it,” Lavender awed. 

“So, have you?” Parvati asked, pinning up the last section of hair. She jumped off of the bed to sit beside Lavender to interrogate Hermione properly. 

“Well,” she shrugged. “Yes.” 

The girls at the foot of her bed squealed loudly. Hermione laughed. Quite fun, indeed, to have this kind of attention. She was hardly used to it anymore. 

“When? Where?” Lavender prodded, literally, with the eyeshadow brush in her arm. Hermione swatted it away. 

“Just, in the courtyard, the other day.” 

“Woah, Mione, you really know how to spice things up.” 

“Did he say something to you?” 

“Like what?” 

“I dunno, something like that you’re pretty? Or something.”

“Yes, he told me he loved me,” Hermione confided sarcastically.

"Really?" The two girls said, awestruck. They'd missed the sarcasm completely.

"No!"

Lavender sighed. “Oh, come on, 'Mione, how did it happen?”

“Well, it wasn’t a really big deal. We were in the courtyard--we’d been studying--and then he just bent down and kissed me. I dunno.” Hermione rolled over onto her back to avoid the look the girls were giving her. 

It was a big deal, though. The day it happened, she’d lived in utter bliss. Viktor Krum had kissed her. Of all people. She’d never felt like that before. Like someone admired her that way. It was the biggest deal to Hermione. But she couldn’t tell anyone that, because then people would know how much Krum meant to her. For some reason she didn’t really want people to know that. That he seriously was her boyfriend. Or something. He was leaving at the end of the year. Graduating. Krum was three years older, she should be happy he was even noticing her.

“And you’re okay with the fact that he hasn’t asked you out to the ball?” Parvati asked. 

Hermione shrugged, she wasn’t even sure if she wanted to go to something like that. It didn’t seem like something she’d enjoy. Or maybe, with Krum there, she might just. Maybe. 

So, she shrugged again, “Yes, I’m honestly fine. And I would understand if he’d wind up going with someone fancier.” 

“What’re you talking about?” Lavender asked, confused. 

“You know,” Hermione explained, exasperated that she even had to. “Someone more fit than I am.” 

Parvati rolled her eyes, “Hermione, what on earth?” 

Hermione rolled back on to her stomach and sat up. Parvati, who had disappeared around the corner of her bed to dig around in the drawer of her night stand. She returned with an ornate compact mirror in her hand. 

She gave the mirror to Hermione so she would look at her reflection. Hermione blinked. Her eyes looked magnified by the yellow and gold eyeshadow. Her hair didn’t look like the usual disaster it was. The majority of it was pinned back, except for a few strands she didn’t even know she had, that curled around her jaw. She could see her jaw line. She didn’t know she had that either. 

“What were you talking about, Mione. Look at that. You’re fit like a veela.” 

Hermione rolled her eyes but she was smiling. Fit like a veela, sure. 

  
  
  



	2. 2 - i'm not one to complain

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It's Theo's mum's birthday and he's trying to cope.

 

Hermione found herself sitting straighter. She didn’t know why she was doing this. It was completely unreasonable. Honestly, Hermione was a very sensible girl. She’d been raised that way. But, that morning, a Thursday, Hermione felt herself sitting straighter, her chest out, her shoulders back. As if she was proud. She was sure no one would notice. She didn’t want anyone to notice. Except for one person. 

“Why’re you sitting all funny like that?” Ron asked, smearing his toast with marmalade, he looked like he was building a cement foundation. Hermione had not intended on Ron noticing. 

“I’m not sitting funny.” She proceeded on breaking her bacon in half, and in half again. 

“You are, too. With your shoulders all back and,” Ron demonstrated by pushing his head out forward and his shoulders back, making him look like a limp bird. 

Harry found it funny as did Neville, although Hermione was pretty sure Neville had no idea what Ron was doing. 

She rolled her eyes again. She did not look like that. Subconsciously, she loosened her shoulders a tad, and curled in a little more. As she often did. 

“What’s up, Mione?” Harry asked, tearing apart a piece of bacon.

“Nothing,” She said, picking up her goblet and swaying its contents around. “It’s just that--Nah, nevermind. It doesn’t matter.” She let out a melancholy sigh. “I mean--”

Ron and Harry were looking at her as if she was the most complicated thing yet. “Do you wanna tell us or not?” Ron asked blandly. As was his style. 

Hermione put on a heavy smile and shook her head. “Nah, it’s okay.” 

Ron, satisfied, continued on devouring his plate. Harry gave her a lingering look but decided on eating as it was the easier way out.  _ Boys, _ Hermione thought as she downed the contents of her goblet. 

She glanced at Seamus’s watch who sat opposite her, besides Ron. “Boys!” Hermione exclaimed. Both of them dropped what they were doing and gave her a wide-eyed look. If Hermione hadn’t been so stressed on getting to class on time she might’ve thought it was cute, the way they heeded her immediately. “We have to get to Potions, quickly!” Hermione pulled her bag from underneath the bench she sat on and was out the hall in seconds. 

A minute later Harry appeared by her side and a second later Ron appeared. A piece of toast loaded with bacon in his hand. Hermione decided not to say anything even if the site of all the grease over Ron’s fingers made her feel icky. 

Just then, someone shouldered harshly past Ron, making him almost drop his monstrosity. Theodore Nott seemed to be the culprit, but the weird thing was, instead of making a snide comment about either of them, he hadn’t even seemed to notice that he’d harshly pushed past them. 

Hermione shared a look with Harry as Ron was rearranging the bacon on his toast. They needn’t have worried though, as a second a later Millicent Bulstrode followed Nott. She did eye Ron’s greasy creation. “I suppose you have to stock up here don’t you? Did you push some down your pockets and shoes as a present for mummy and daddy? Or do you enjoy looking all porky?” She was nonchalantly tugging at her loose ponytail. Her face in a mock pout. Ron was seething, his ears practically giving off fire. 

“Why don’t you put your eyes back into your skull, Frogger?” Hermione retorted. 

Bulstrode hadn’t even decided Hermione’s response was worthy of an ear as she had turned to Nott and seemed to be holding his hand. Hermione could’ve sworn that yesterday she’d seen Parkinson hold hands with Nott. It was all just a giant, freakin’ orgy down here in the dungeons. 

Just then Snape opened the door and Hermione had to refrain from rolling her eyes as she entered the cool room under Snape’s piercing gaze. As if he was daring her to just step wrong. She almost stepped on his foot, just because. 

She settled down next to Ron (who had finished the toast and was busy wiping the grease on his robes) and Harry who looked about as excited as she felt. 

Just as she dumped her heavy bag onto the floor with a bang, Snape swept him and his dark robes to the front of the classroom. He clasped his hands behind his back and did an awkward sort of hair flip to get his greasy, stringy hair out of his face. 

“I must say, I’m seriously disappointed with the standard of learning from almost everyone in this year.” Hermione could’ve sworn he stared right at her. But she often thought that. “This is why I’ve been forced to take extra measures in this class to clean your pathetic revision attempts up. Need I state again that next year you will all need to attain an O if you wish to proceed with this class beyond your OWLs?” Snape sighed. “You shall start to work in partners, if you refuse to learn from me, perhaps you’ll learn from each other. The groups have already been decided, so do not come up to me because I will not change them.” 

“Now, I’ve paired the more capable with the less capable for obvious reasons.” Snape finished his intimidating stroll through the aisles of the classroom and swooped back to his desk where he extracted a piece of parchment from other paperwork laying on his desk. 

In his nasally voice he read, “Longbottom and Malfoy, Potter and Thomas, Granger and Zabini--” Snape kept on but Hermione stopped listening and started evaluating. 

Her eyes found Zabini’s across the room and she tried to look as stone faced as she could. Zabini wasn’t very talented in potions, which meant she was the better one. This made her feel better as it was just like Snape to pair her with Malfoy or something to proof that she was scum or something. Not that she was. 

Zabini was quite tall and a little lanky, like Ron, but unlike Ron, Zabini was more good looking, in an effortless sort of way that Ron just lacked. Hermione didn’t know why she was thinking this but snapped out of it when Harry started to get up and move over to where Dean was seated. He smiled apologetically at the two of them as he had the best pairing by far. Ron, got up too and started to walk over to Parvati’s table. He patted Hermione’s head in passing. 

Hermione fought the urge to groan as Blaise Zabini dropped his stuff on the table opposite her. 

“Granger.” Zabini curled his lip slightly as he took out his potions book and turned to the Confusing Concoction, Snape had already started writing the instructions on the board. Why couldn’t she have been paired with someone else. Slytherins were always so bloody stuck up. She probably wouldn’t even be able to have a mundane conversation. 

“Listen,” Hermione began, already rolling up her sleeves, “I’m well aware of what you think of me. So, I’m not going to pretend that we’re going to be friends or anything. All I’m proposing is that we can be civil about this. I just need to pass this class with an O.” 

Zabini gave her a look. The strange thing was, it wasn’t a scathing look. He wasn’t looking at her like she was something he’d found at the bottom of his shoe. Rather he regarded her with only slight distaste. He nodded. “Alright, I just need you to get me to an O. I need this class. And even though you’re a mudblood, you have a knack for potions.” 

Hermione nodded. Even though she wanted to crush his foot for calling her that. But she realised this was as good as she was going to get. 

“Right, okay, so for this potion we need to have a low fire so if you’ll just--right. That’s right. I’m going to get the fire ants.” 

 

***

“How’s the miss Know-It-All?” Pansy asked Blaise when she appeared at his elbow. Draco turned to look at the tall boy too. 

“Eh,” Blaise said, loosening his tie, “She’s as bad as I thought she was going to be. Bossy. But I think she’ll get me to an O. She keeps dispatching these little tips. I’m rubbish at potions so I’m not really puttin’ up a fight or anything.” 

Pansy nodded but Draco shook his head. “Zabini, at least Granger knows what she’s doing, even though that hair looks like she lives in the forbidden forest with some goblins. Longbottom is a disaster. I can’t believe Snape paired us up with these idiots. Longbottom can’t even tell a scalpel from a ladle. How am I supposed to get an O when he can’t even defang a dead acromantula?”

Malfoy irritably made his way up the steps to transfiguration. Pansy shrugged, “Bugger for you. Goyle can’t stir correctly. He goes at it like he’s trying to destroy something. I don’t know how I’ll be able to help him. I had to do all the work while he just sat there and tore a hole in his parchment three times. We weren’t even supposed to write anything! I miss brewing with you guys.” 

Blaise gave her a weird look, “I never helped you brew anything. I’m dead weight.”

Pansy batted her eyelashes. She’d applied dark lines to her lids. “But you’re so pretty.” 

Blaise groaned as he plopped down in his seat. Transfiguration was a better fit for him, Draco thought, as he sat down behind him. Pansy sat besides Blaise, when Millicent sat next to him. 

“How’s he?” Draco asked her. McGonagall hadn’t shown up yet. 

Millicent shrugged. She was playing with her quill. It had a beautiful Kingfisher feather. “Not so good. Right after potions I tried to catch up with him and when I did he shrugged me off and said he was going to bed. I had to run all the way back to Snape to tell him that Theo was taking the rest of the day off.” She fell back in her chair with a sigh. “I can’t believe that Snape let him go. D’you think he knows?” 

Draco considered this. He couldn’t imagine that Snape knew that today was Nott’s mother’s birthday. It wasn’t a known fact. Draco shook his head and Millicent nodded. “I don’t think so, Mill, I think he just let him off because Nott doesn’t usually take days off.”

It was then that McGonagall strode to the front of the classroom. Her hair in an immaculate tight bun as always and mouth in a pursed white line. She did a scan of the classroom. “Mr Malfoy, would you mind informing me why Mr Nott has neglected to come to class?” 

Draco sat up straighter. “He’s feeling unwell, miss.” 

“Then why isn’t he in the hospital wing? Madam Pomfrey hasn’t informed me of his presence there.” Draco didn’t know what to tell her. He secretly wanted to tell her to shove it because it was none of her business. But he faltered. One did not tell McGonagall shove it. She was the kind of woman who demanded respect and one just gave it to her. It was not something worth questioning. McGonagall was a respectable woman. 

“He’s not--It’s not…” Draco faltered. Just as McGonagall was someone you did not disrespect, Draco wasn’t someone who faltered. 

Millicent interjected. “He’s not physically unwell, Professor.” 

McGonagall regarded the two of them. She didn’t seem convinced. “I’d like a note from Mr Nott, explaining why he failed to attend my class. Now, we have wasted enough lesson time as is. Please open your textbooks to page 184.” 

“You faltered.” Millicent whispered to him.

Draco winced. “I know.”

She gave him a look. “You don’t falter.”

“I know.” He whispered, irritated now. 

“It’s okay.” She knocked their feet together and smiled. 

“Your warm fuzzy heart cares for him.”

He regarded her. “Of course,” Draco said, failing to sound sarcastic. 

Millicent smiled. “I won’t tell anyone.” 

Draco rolled his eyes and began reading about beetles into buttons. 

After transfiguration, Draco made his way down to the dormitories. He needed his dragon hide gloves for herbology which he’d stupidly forgotten in his trunk. 

As he jogged down the stairs and flung the door open to his room he’d forgotten, for a moment, that Theo was probably lying in his bed. 

He felt guilty the moment he saw Theo lying on his back. He was looking at the ceiling of his canopy, his hands over his stomach. The sameway someone would lie in a casket. He didn’t stir as Draco walked in. He went to his trunk and fished out his gloves. “Nott?” Draco asked as he rose from the floor. The brunette was scaring him. Theo was the most energetic boy Draco knew. 

“Come on, Nott, we have herbology. You can take your anger out on the wiggentrees were gonna plant.” Draco went to stand beside Theo’s bed. “It’ll be good.”

“Yeah?” Theo croaked. 

Relieved at the reaction he’d managed from Theo, Draco shifted his weight to his other leg. “Yeah.”

“Well, that’s great. Great that planting a wiggentree is going to make me feel better.” Theo’s words were drenched with sarcasm. Draco winced. He was not good at comforting. He didn’t know what to say. 

“I..” Draco thought, “don’t know what to say, I haven’t lost a family member, not the way you have.” Draco fell back against the wall. He was pulling at the fingers of his gloves. “I’m sorry,” Draco said. Draco did not say that lightly. “I’m sorry for your mum and I’m sorry she went that way.” 

Theo closed his eyes and exhaled deeply. “I don’t want to feel good today. I don’t want to plant wiggentrees or sit through defence or trans, I don’t have the energy today. Maybe tomorrow. I don’t  _ get  _ to feel good today.” 

“That’s shite.” Draco whispered. “You don’t have to be feel bad today. It’s her birthday. This was a happy day and you don’t have to mourn her because he won’t.” Draco was almost shouting now. He didn’t know why he cared so much. This wasn’t something he usually did but Theo was feeling bad because of someone else’s actions. That wasn’t something he would let slide, certainly not Theo, his friend. 

Theo jumped up onto his knees so that he was eye to eye with Draco. “That’s  _ exactly  _ why I have to feel bad. He doesn’t even think about her anymore. He can’t even remember her! He’s a drunk and he’s mad! He killed her and he can’t even  _ remember _ .” Theo lowered his voice and fell back onto his haunches. He swallowed and Draco watched his adam’s apple bobble. “He can’t even remember.” Theo lay back down, in the same way that Draco found him to begin with. 

“Just go away, I’ll plant wiggentrees tomorrow.” 

Draco nodded. More to himself than to Theo because he realised that there was nothing that he could say right then that would cheer up the brown eyed boy on the bed. “We don’t have herbology tomorrow.” Draco said as he walked through the door. 

Theo grunted, “Twat.”

Draco let it slide and made his way up the stairs and out of the common room. 

***

Hermione was making her way from Defence to lunch when she felt someone tap on her shoulder. She turned to see Krum stand there. His brown eyes were warm and his jaw was more chiseled than ever. She blushed and then cursed herself for blushing. She wasn’t this girl. 

“Hullo, Hermy,” Krum said. He smiled at her. Hermione consciously realised that she was alone in this corridor, Ron and Harry had gone on without her as they were hooligans and relished every bite they could have. 

“Hey, Viktor, I haven’t seen you since Sunday.” She shouldn’t have said that. Now it seemed as if she’d been counting their days apart. Which she had. But he didn’t have to know that. Krum smiled again, his cheekbones were high and his smile made him have cute lines around his eyes. Hermione reached up and touched one of them. This made Krum smile even wider, which in turn made Hermione smile. Oh, she was a fool. But in a way, it was fun being foolish. 

Krum reached for Hermione’s hand and held it in his own. “‘Mi-ony, I have a question for you,” Hermione nodded as encouragement. “Will you go to the Yule ball with me?” 

Hermione stopped. Krum was a champion, that meant she would be looked at and photos would me made. There’d be a small section in Witch Weekly’s mentioning her and there’d be her photo, on Krum’s arm. She swallowed harshly. 

“Are you sure you want me there? I don’t think that I’m--”

Krum frowned, “That you are not vat?”

“Well, pretty enough.” Krum’s frown deepened, “No, no. No, it’s okay, really, maybe you should ask Parvati?” 

Krum shook his head, “No, I vant to ask you.” Krum dropped her hand. “If you do not vant to go, you should just say so.”

“What?” Hermione stepped forward as Krum stepped back. She reached for Krum’s hand again. “No, I want to go. I just don’t think it’s the right play here.”

“Vat play? I get to choose and I choose you.”

“You choose me?” Hermione smiled. 

Krum smiled sadly. “I have been choosing you since I got here and I don’t understand vhy you cannot see this. I think you are beautiful.” 

Hermione nodded, “Of course I’ll go with you to the ball. I’d love to.” Krum took her bag from her shoulder. “Let’s go to lunch then.” 

Hermione nodded. They walked side by side, when they came to the edge of the corridor they had to wait for the stairs to come their way. 

Hermione beamed at him. She’d never been told that she was beautiful before. By her parents, but that didn’t count. “Thank you,” Hermione asked. 

Krum shrugged and bent down to kiss her. “I don’t know who else I vould ask.” 

“I’m glad.” She stood on her toes and looked so close into Krum’s face that his eyes looked like one eye. “I think I really like you,” Krum whispered. Hermione smiled. 

“I think I like you too.”

She kissed him then. 

They missed their staircase. And took it the third time it came around. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you to those who left comments on my last chapter! I really appreciate it. I hope you like this new chapter! Leave comments to tell me what you think.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading everything. I'm a slow writer, this means that I don't have an update schedule. Sorry for any typos or grammar mistakes. I try to avoid them as much as possible. Leave reviews because they're really appreciated and then I'll know if this is a fun idea (if I should continue or not) :)


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